Originally posted
to rec.games.trading-cards.misc on 18 Mar 1996 by Jose Garcia. I can't find
Jose to ask permission, but I don't think he minds. Read the original with a
newsreader or Google
if you prefer.

Jose Garcia (Shadowfist
co-designer) designed this classic Shadowfist deck. It's not as effective in
the Z-Man era due to the errata to Pocket Demon, but it can still kick butt
with a few updates. The basic formula also works in multiplayer, but usually
stocks Neutron Bombs to clear the table so a Golden Comeback-ed Independent
hitter can go in for the win.

STITCHESby Jose Garcia
(48 cards)

I'm more or less
retiring Stiches (if you see me at an event and want to play against it, I'll
probably oblige but I won't be using it as a default). Here's the Stitches recipe
along with what it does. I recommend that you give it a whirl, it's an extremely
fast (brings CHAR out on turn 2 routinely) and brutal deck that can come back
from almost any setback.

This deck revolves
around two combos: Proving Ground/Pocket Demon and Vivisector/Golden Comeback.
Arcanotechnicians are used to recycle the Golden Comebacks and Pocket Demons
(and sometimes the Vivisectors) to keep your power flowing.

Here's a typical
opening:

Let my opponent
go first

Turn 1, discard
aggressively, optimally I want a DNA Mage, a Proving Ground and a Pocket Demon,
but usually I have to settle for 2 out of the 3.
Play Proving Ground and DNA Mage.

End of my opponent's
second turn, reveal Proving Ground.

Start of my second
turn,
Play Pocket Demon (chances are my opponent has 2 feng shui sites at the moment),
generate 2 power.
Turn Proving Ground and pay 2 power to play CHAR.
Kick ass.

Later on...

Attack with CHAR.

Vivisect CHAR
after the attack (or if an opponent tries to Imprison him) then I have a series
of options:

Golden Comeback
CHAR, attack and Vivisect him again. Repeat as often as possible (you'd be suprised
how often you'll be able to).

Or play Ting Ting
or the Golden Gunman, attack with them, if you have a Golden Comeback in your
hand or in your smoked pile (and an unturned Arcanotechnician), vivisect them
and then play Golden Comeback (they come back into play unturned and ready to
attack again).

Once Stitches
gets rolling it's a true terror to behold, if played correctly it can routinely
attack 2 or 3 times with heavy hitters (sometimes it's the same heavy hitter
over and over again). And no matter how badly I'm being slammed, a comeback
is only a Pocket Demon away (provided that I haven't been recently stripped
by an Inauspicous Reburial).

I've often come
back from devastating setbacks using this deck, including times when my opponent
controlled 5 feng shui sites, a number of characters and I had nothing (no power,
no sites, no characters). I've also had some incredibly stunning and brutal
victories with this deck, last week I went from 1 feng shui site to 6 in a single
turn (granted my opponent was floundering and ineffectual).

General play tips:

Inauspicious Reburial
hurts this deck, when playing against the Lotus, Imprison their characters and
recycle your Imprisons with Arcanotechnicians. Chances are that you'll be outproducing
them in the power department with this deck and you have a good chance of keeping
them from accumulating a lot of resources in this fashion. Avoid killing their
characters, keep them on the ropes and don't park your characters in the smoked
pile unless you have a Golden Comeback and the power needed to play it on hand.
Also don't attack or intercept with your foundation characters when playing
the Lotus, try to keep them in play as long as possible (therefore the resources
they provide will be safe).

Avoid playing
the Golden Gunman when playing against the Ascended (unless you have an unturned
Vivisector handy), if they Shadowy Mentor him you won't be able to get rid of
him.

Never play more
than 2 sites, burn for victory, use Monkey House to discard the feng shui sites
you draw. The exception being situations where your opponent has no sites for
you to take in which case you'll have to play your own. If your opponent controls
a Proving Ground make it your preferred target if possible (as you don't get
any power from it using your Pocket Demons).

Don't reveal your
Proving Ground at the beginning of the game unless you have a magic resource
in your pool (to avoid getting stuck just in case your opponent steals your
power and has a Whirlpool of Blood).